Family
Asteraceae
Synonyms
Centaurea maculosa
Common name
Spotted knapweed
Regulation
Prohibited Noxious, Class 1 in the Canadian Weed Seeds Order, 2016 under the Seeds Act. All imported and domestic seed must be free of Prohibited Noxious weed seeds.
Distribution
Canadian: Occurs in AB, BC, NB, NS, ON, QC, SK, YT (Brouillet et al. 2016Footnote 1).
Worldwide: Native to eastern Europe and western Asia. Introduced in other parts of Europe, as well as North America, Australia and New Zealand (CABI 2016Footnote 2, USDA-ARS 2016Footnote 3).
Duration of life cycle
Perennial
Seed or fruit type
Achene
Identification features
Size
- Achene length: 1.8 - 3.5 mm
- Achene width: 0.8 - 2.0 mm
- Pappus length: 1.0 - 3.3 mm
Shape
- Achene oblong-shaped with rounded bottom and flat top, laterally compressed; large notch near the base
Surface texture
- Achene is smooth, dull
Colour
- Light to dark greenish-brown achene with pale markings
Other features
- Achene pale markings consist of: a strong central line and thin or broken lines to either side, and a pale area around the basal notch and the top
Habitat and crop association
Rangelands, grasslands, open sites, roadsides, riverbanks and disturbed areas. Reported as a weed of alfalfa but not usually associated with crop production (CABI 2016Footnote 2).
General information
Spotted knapweed was accidentally introduced into North America in contaminated alfalfa and clover seed in the late 1800s (Ochmann 2001Footnote 4).
Spotted knapweed can thrive over a wide range of climate and soil conditions (CABI 2016Footnote 2), although it prefers well-drained, light to coarse textured soils.
Similar species
Diffuse knapweed (Centurea diffusa)
- Diffuse knapweed achenes are: a similar size, oblong shape, pappus and dark colouring with pale stripes as spotted knapweed.
- Diffuse knapweed achenes (1.0 - 1.5 mm wide) are narrower than spotted knapweed, with strong central and side stripes. The pappus are generally shorter in diffuse knapweed (0.1 - 1.0 mm long) compared to spotted knapweed.
- The brown colour of diffuse knapweed achenes is usually reddish while spotted knapweed is greenish.
Photos
Similar species
